A gesture for my nose and lungs; Triton Powered Respirator

[Bob Borzelleri]

The past few days have been marked by pronounced upper respiratory discomfort. While this is a pretty new thing for me, I've never spent so much time cutting and finishing chemically impregnated OSB and pine paneling. The old Dustfoe has worked pretty hard through it all, but there were times when I figured I had just one more cut to make and the 'foe never made it up to the nose. Apparently that was enough to trigger nasal assault.

Two mornings of awakening to me snorting with red eyes gave my wife cause to ponder. "Isn't there some sort of full mask you can wear that would better protect you from the effects of wood dust?"

I thought about her question long enough to recognize the benefits of a plan falling together and immediately replied, "hmmm, I'm sure that someone makes something that would work, but I would guess it would be more expensive than the average '3 for a dollar' masks you get at Ace Hardware". She followed with, "so how much is your health worth?" and I knew what I had to do.

Research here and there led me to two options; either NIOSH approved or not Niosh approved. The former class appeared to be notable for the significant number of dollars required to take possession and the latter by about half as much.

Focusing on the latter group, I quickly came upon the Trend Airshield and the Triton Respirator. Both are battery driven active air movement devices that appear to accomplish the same thing (getting in between nuisance dust and my nose, mouth and eyes), but they take rather different approaches.

The Trend is a one stop contained unit that has the filter, battery, fan and who know what else within the frame of the mask. The Triton, on the other hand, carries the batteries, fan and filters on a belt with a weird looking hose going up to the nylon shroud that is attached to the bottom of a fairly normal looking hard hat that has ear muffs and a full coverage shield.

Off I went to Woodcraft Suppy who just happened to have both in stock. My initial take as I was driving to the store was that the Trend was by far the front runner given it's simplicity and the fact that it didn't make the wearer look like a refugee from a slasher movie.

I must have attracted some perverse sort of attention as I spent about 20 minutes wearing each of the units while browsing through the store. I was surprised at the result of my little test.

The Triton still get high marks for looking bizzare, but it was significantly more comfortable than the Trend. In addition, the face seal on the Trend didn't match with my face very well while the Triton made it clear very quickly that the only thing getting into the face area would be the piped in air from the belt unit. The real kicker was the fact that the Trend (with the business pieces up above the eyes) was top heavy to me. I kept feeling that my forehead was on the brink of bouncing off the surface of the bar (not a device for having a drink at the local pub unless one seeks whatever protection that would come from having the mask hit the bar before you do).

For the most part, I am sure that the distinctions I've drawn between these two masks are subjective and due to my own sense of what feels comfortable. This is one of those areas where everyone's milage will vary.

I didn't have a chance to wear the Trend "in action" so I can't comment on issues such as airflow or noise. The Triton charged for 15 hours and provided what seemed to be adequate airflow so long as I didn't try to jog a mile or two. Noise was minimal since the moving parts are on the belt. I could hear a slight "whoosh" or air movement.

All in all, I think I have done a good thing.

Here's a picture I got off a "Jason vs. Freddy" movie poster. Notice how much it looks like the actor is wearing a Triton.

[Bob Borzelleri]

Thanks Bob!

Excellent review of two products that all of us should be considering. I’ve contemplated purchasing one of those products for the same reasons you specified. Most notably, the best mask in the word will not keep the sawdust out of your eyes and tear ducts. And goggles are usually designed to protect you from projectiles, not dust.

Do you feel that the airflow is adequate for a non air-conditioned shop? Say 90+ degrees, low humidity? How often do they recommend a filter change? Is 15 hours the typical battery charge time? How long will the charge last?

Thanks for sharing!
rick


Rick...

I'm not sure about the upper temperture limit on comfort in a non air conditioned shop. Mine is such a shop and today it is about 80 and I have been wandering around with relative comfort. I have a bunch more panel cuts and about 200 feet of trim to trim with the chop saw so I'll let you how I fare after that.

I should point out a couple of things about the Triton unit. It comes with a flow measuring device that is essentially a clear tube with a circle drawn about 2" up from the base. There is a ball inside that is supposed to be lifted into the circle zone when the flow is adequate. You place it on top of the exhaust port and eyeball the ball. The manual points out that anywhere in the circle indicates flow as expected by the design. Anytime the ball fails to get any part of itself into the circle, you have to look at the filter (for clogging) or charging level to correct.

This other important thing to note is that Triton says not to expect to see maximum flow for the first two hours of usage. Since I have only 20 minutes or so on it and the ball started out just within the circle, I will be interested in seeing what I get after a few hours use.

As you can see in the picture, the ball is now about 1/2 inch higher than when I first cranked it up and this with only about 20-30 minutes on it.

Regarding the charging method, there is an initial charge of 15 hours so running out to buy this device with expectations of using it that day are going to be met with dissappointment. From what I can make of the charging section of the manual, it needs to be charged overnight whenever the flow rate falls beneath the ball (so to speak). We should expect to see a minimum of 4 hours use per charge.

There is a two stage filter system. One is a cleanable pre-filter (brush, vacuum or wash) and the second stage is comprised of two RC 64 cartridges (which they describe as commonly available, perhaps only down under as a Google search led me back to Triton's site and to a listing for a Maserati oil filter.). The Triton comes with one spare pre-filter. My guess is that replacement frequency is going to be directly related to how much dust passes into the system and how oftet the 1st stage is cleaned.

...Bob

[Cecil Arnold]

The trend also takes a 15 hour charge the first time, then overnight, and the charge is supposedly good for four hours after the battery is conditioned. The only reasons I bought a trend are a) a review of both stated that the triton had more parliex b) the trend has disposable clear covers for the shield and c) I wear glasses and felt it would be more compatable. Either is doing your lungs a favor.

[Andy London]

Are you operating your cyclone and still seeing a lot of dust in the shop?...Just curious.

[Bob Borzelleri]

Are you operating your cyclone and still seeing a lot of dust in the shop?...Just curious.

Nope. The dust I have been dealing with comes from a circular saw and trim work I have been doing for new walls in the shop. I have been cutting all the panels outside. The cyclone install is on hold while I refurbish the interior walls of the shop. All the shop tools are herded into the center of the shop to give me access to the walls.

Still, I believe that after the cyclone is installed, there will still be value in the respiratory mask. While capturing 99.9% of PM 2.5, of the stuff that enters the cyclone system is impressive, that 10th of a percent can add up to quite a lot of the smallest and most potentially harmful particulate, particularly with large volume usage and/or over many months or years. In addition, no matter how well designed the system, some volume of dust particulate will not enter the system and not seeing it happen doesn't mean it isn't there or that it is not available for inhalation.

There are epidemiologists who specialize in asbestos exposure who firmly believe that the literature demonstrates that very small numbers of asbestos fibers can cause irreversible harm because they make it to in the deepest recesses of the lungs and stay there. My view is that a well designed cyclone and a mask make the most sense for folks who want to be around long enough to grow old with their woodworking.

[Bob Borzelleri]

The trend also takes a 15 hour charge the first time, then overnight, and the charge is supposedly good for four hours after the battery is conditioned. The only reasons I bought a trend are a) a review of both stated that the triton had more parliex b) the trend has disposable clear covers for the shield and c) I wear glasses and felt it would be more compatable. Either is doing your lungs a favor.

Cecil...

I think I found the article you mentioned and I'm not sure that what was described in the review is actually parallax which, if I recall correctly, has to do apparent changes in objects relative to each other as a result of the observer changing position.

What I did see was a very slight but still apparent curvature introduced on a flat plane most likely as a result of the curvature of the Triton shield. It became apparent only once and under the following conditions. I was on my hands and knees picking up staples and other such objects that I didn't want to vacuum up and, because I didn't happen to be wearing my glasses, I had to lean over pretty far to see the staples and other small things I wanted to pluck from the floor. While my face was very close to the floor, it began to appear that the floor had a slight trough running from my knees and directly in front of me. I did a couple of double takes and had to get my face within about 6 inches from the floor to reproduce the effect.

I didn't think to try to reproduce the effect with my glasses on, but I did begin to focus on natural work surfaces around the shop. I wanted to see if any curvature would appear in the course of doing business with the tools. I was unable to perceive the effect with the tablesaw, or the workbench. In fact, the only time I could reproduce it was while down on my hands and knees and staring at the floor.

The disposable shield covers are a great idea. I don't believe that the Triton shield will accept such a protective device because of the curvature of the shield. I might mention that the Triton shield has a eye protection rating for "industrial applications" to "high impact resistance". I wondered if the curvature is designed in to that capability.

I have gone through a few motorcycle helmets before finding one that worked well with glasses. Happily, the Triton accepts my glasses without a wimper. I think you are right that either product will perform its protective task effectively.

...Bob